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Back The Surrogate Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Part One
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Thirty-Three
  38. Part Two
  39. Thirty-Four
  40. Thirty-Five
  41. Thirty-Six
  42. Thirty-Seven
  43. Thirty-Eight
  44. Thirty-Nine
  45. Forty
  46. Forty-One
  47. Forty-Two
  48. Forty-Three
  49. Forty-Four
  50. Forty-Five
  51. Forty-Six
  52. Forty-Seven
  53. Forty-Eight
  54. Forty-Nine
  55. Fifty
  56. Fifty-One
  57. Part Three
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Fifty-Four
  61. Fifty-Five
  62. Fifty-Six
  63. Acknowledgments
  64. About the Author
  65. About the Publisher

When I was seven months pregnant, I received another surprise. I’d been nominated by the Society for Professional Journalism for their Excellence in Health Reporting Award for my surrogacy story, published in the Minneapolis Star. A great honor, for which I would embark on a quest to find a sufficiently festive maternity gown to wear at the awards dinner and gala. And on the night of the big event, in an amusing role reversal, Hal insisted on bringing my old camera bag so he could play the part of “sexy photographer,” as he put it. I couldn’t help smiling as I walked onstage to accept the prize, my belly like a basketball, and there he was in the front row, clicking shot after blurry shot of me, his award-winning, very pregnant wife. And as on the night we first met, the sparks were flying.

We were a team again. He’d acquiesced to my handling of the Cally matter. He’d said everything he needed to say; he’d been trying to make me happy. But we both saw how much happier the baby was in Cally’s arms. We would remain in the background, help her when needed, and it felt right to work together, not fight. And since Cally had full legal and physical custody, she had the prerogative to name the baby. I was deeply touched when Cally chose Nell Elizabeth.

Hal and I named our little boy Raymond August Olson, and he is as sweet as pie. I could have kept most of the nursery decor in place, because who doesn’t love an underwater ocean motif? But we decided to give baby Ray his own theme.

And start over.

Acknowledgments

This book started on the first day of the first writing class I ever took, and was inspired by a “postcard prompt” from our teacher, Laurel Ostrow. The postcard featured a snowy cabin in the woods, with the words “Welcome to Wisconsin” plastered across the image. Laurel gave us three minutes to write, and that’s when this story began to flow.

In that class, I met my first writing group, who have been my dear friends ever since. Bridgit Colleran Albrecht, Judie Mattison, and Romelle Adkins, thank you for your enduring support through many early chapters.

To Brier Miller, who encouraged me to write in the first place: thank you for your generous care.

To my fellow mentees in the 2013 Loft Mentor Series: I am fortunate to have met you and I treasure our connection. Thanks also to the mentors for bringing us together, teaching us about the craft, and showing us how to be a community.

To the Loft Literary Center, its staff, teachers, and students: thank you for the vibrant literary universe you continue to foster. I am lucky to live in a city with such a haven for writers and readers.